How to Enable MMS on iPhone OS 3.1 (AT&T)

Disassembled iPhone iPhone 3G S

When we reported that iPhone OS 3.1 breaks MMS and Tethering hack, we had many readers reporting that MMS and in some cases even tethering is working for them after upgrading to iPhone OS 3.1. It looks like it is working for users who had used the MMS hack.

Aaron Krill who had discovered the MMS hack for iPhone OS 3.0 is at it again. He has figured out a way to enable MMS on iPhone OS 3.1 without the need to jailbreak your iPhone.

Please proceed with caution and remember that you run the risk of voiding your iPhone's warranty.

Before you start, you need the following things:

  • Modified version of ATT_US.ipcc (carrier file), which can be downloaded from this link.

  • iPhone running iPhone OS 3.1

  • iTunes 8.2 or iTunes 9

Note: This will work only for AT&T customers.

You then need to enable IPCC updates for iTunes 8.2 (or iTunes 9) and copy the carrier (.ipcc) file to your iPhone. To achieve this, you need to follow these instructions:

Enabling IPCC Updates for iTunes:
iTunes 8.2 or iTunes 9 won’t allow you to apply the carrier file updates so you need to follow these steps:

MAC OS X:

1. Close iTunes.
2. Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal).
3. Run the command: defaults write com.apple.iTunes carrier-testing -bool TRUE

Windows 32 Bit:

1. Close iTunes.
2. Go to Start then Run and type CMD.
3. Run this command(If you right-click on the cmd window you can paste): “C:Program FilesiTunesiTunes.exe” /setPrefInt carrier-testing 1

Note: If the command in point 3 doesn't work then please double check the path of iTunes.exe on your computer and use that path instead of the one mentioned withing quotes above.

Windows 64 Bit:

1. Close iTunes.
2. Go to Start then Run and type CMD.
3. Run this command(If you right-click on the cmd window you can paste): “C:Program Files (x86)iTunesiTunes.exe” /setPrefInt carrier-testing 1

Note: If the command in point 3 doesn't work then please double check the path of iTunes.exe on your computer and use that path instead of the one mentioned withing quotes above.

Updating your iPhone with the Carrier file:
To update your iPhone with the carrier file follow these instructions:

  1. Open iTunes & connect your iPhone.

  2. Click on your iPhone in iTunes(under devices listing).

  3. Windows Users: hold shift and click “Check for Update”.  MAC OS X: hold alt and click “Check for Update”.

  4. Select the .IPCC you downloaded earlier.

  5. Reboot your iPhone.

  6. MMS should be enabled on your iPhone.

Based on feedback from our readers and this HowardForums thread it looks like updating your iPhone with the carrier file is working for quite a few users. However, it doesn’t seem to work for everyone. Aaron thinks that this is because AT&T is in the process of removing the opt-out codes. I think AT&T is probably rolling out the MMS feature gradually for the official launch on September 25.

Update 1:

It looks like the tutorial doesn't work for iPhone 2G users and the earlier method to enable MMS on iPhone 2G also doen't work with iPhone OS 3.1.

Update 2:

If the above steps don't work then you can checkout the steps provided by YBT, it has worked for some users:

Make sure you have this typed in on settings/general/network/cellular data network and on the MMS section fill in the blanks :
APN: wap.cingular
Username:
Password:
MMSC: mmsc.cingular.com
MMS Proxy: 066.209.011.32
MMS Max Message Size: 614400
MMS UA Prof URL:

After i typed this stuff in mine and restarted my iphone it worked.

Thanks YBT!

Update:

Updated the post to add a note based on James's suggestion. Thanks James.

If you try this tutorial, please don’t forget to let us know how it goes.

[via Aaron Krill’s blog]

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150 Responses to How to Enable MMS on iPhone OS 3.1 (AT&T)

  1. bocaj7777 says:

    works great :) :):):):):):):):):):):) now y is it not working for tethering

  2. I'm running Windows 7 64-bit and iTunes 9. Try the command above for 64 bit but it doesnt regconize.

    I copied and pasted this line:

    %Program Files%\iTunes\iTunes.exe” /setPrefInt carrier-testing 1

    What am i missing?

  3. iPhoneHacks says:

    Aaron who had also figured a way to enable tethering on iPhone OS 3.0 has mentioned that he is currently trying to figure out why the previous methods aren't working. So looks like, we'll have to wait for some more time on that one.

  4. iPhoneHacks says:

    Quotes at the beginning?? It should be:

    "%Program Files%\iTunes\iTunes.exe” /setPrefInt carrier-testing 1

    The idea is to find the path of the iTunes exe file on your computer and put it withing the quotes followed by the other parameters.

  5. DistortedLoop says:

    Okay, I haven't upgraded to 3.1 yet; I am waiting for the jailbreaking tools to come out, however, I could never get MMS working on my iPhone, even with the modified ipcc file, which I never uninstalled. I assumed my account had a block on it.

    I did notice this morning, though, that my iPhone was suddenly able to send and receive MMS messaging. I tried it after reading a post somewhere where the guy said it started working for him yesterday. When I messaged that it worked for me, a friend messaged back that it has been working for him for about a week. He lives in a different part of California than I do.

    My conclusion is that AT&T is indeed rolling out quietly and in stages by removing the blocks on accounts. Come 9/25, they'll authorize a new ipcc for iTunes and let the masses have at it.

  6. Marc says:

    Ok I can also confirm that it works!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!!

  7. iPhoneHacks says:

    Interesting, it might be case as I just stumbled upon this post over at Mediaite where Ash Kalb also noticed the same thing and he didn't seem to have done anything special to enable MMS just like you.

    Or the fact that you had installed the modified ipcc file earlier might have helped.

    So looks like AT&T is rolling out the feature and as you mentioned the will release a new carrier update on September 25. Very nice!

  8. bocaj7777 says:

    ya ok im going to keep trying to get it myself

  9. Josh says:

    Anyone in Washington state have MMS yet???? Mine doesnt work yet. :(

  10. Mike says:

    Sorry guys, but I am also a bit confused. The path of my itunes is…

    C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe

    What would be the proper command to perform this? I am running Windows Vista with iTunes 9.

    Thanks.

  11. Jae says:

    Anyone in New York got this working?

    Im gonna try this out now. Bye Bye Jailbreak for me

  12. iPhoneHacks says:

    Try this command:

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt carrier-testing 1

    If that doesn't work, try this one:

    "C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt carrier-testing 1

  13. dawsy says:

    i'm in ny and the mms hack worked, still no tethering

  14. Mike says:

    Thanks man, just tried it and it works PERFECTLY! Youre the man! Thanks again.

  15. One says:

    A few days ago my mms bubble went missing and I looked in settings and it wasn't there but tethering still worked. Now when I install the carrier file it does nothing. The mms doesn't show up. Any ideas?

  16. Mr. J says:

    Every time I hold shift and click the check for update I can't find the ipcc file and will only show ipsw files. Did I do something wrong?

  17. Anthony says:

    I have 3.1 and 5.11 carrier file. I can't select the .IPCC carrier file that I downloaded–it just looks like a white page in OS-X snow leapord. Any suggestions? I followed everything else exactly.

  18. I'm in New Jersey, very close to New York and it didn't work fro me. I see it updated the carrier file from 5.0 to 5.1. I'm running iTunes 9.0 and OS 3.1. I see there are settings for Cellular Data now under General\Network but I haven't touched the settings like some of the old hacks say to. Did anyone have to add information here? I also turned the iPhone off and on.

  19. iPhoneHacks says:

    You need to follow the instructions under the heading "*Enabling IPCC
    Updates for iTunes*", which will allow you to select the carrier file.

  20. iPhoneHacks says:

    You need to follow the instructions under the heading "*Enabling IPCC
    Updates for iTunes*", which will allow you to select the carrier file.

  21. MalibuJack says:

    Just tested and confirmed working here in DFW, however that doesn't mean it won't stop working in a few hours though.

  22. Ryan says:

    damn that's sick. worked like a charm. use the copy / paste feature for the stuff you need to put in terminal to ensure you don't mess up. i might have mis-typed something the first go round, but when i copy / paste it worked perfectly. was able to select the ipcc file just fine, took a second to update. restarted my iphone and bam !!!!

    to iphonehacks – you might want to remove the period '.' in the mac section after TRUE so people don't get confused and actually use it.

  23. MalibuJack says:

    Oh, and I wanted to clarify that the command line option for windows doesn't launch iTunes, it just sets the preference to allow carrier files, you still have to launch itunes from your icon. At least this was the behavior of itunes 9

  24. Ryan says:

    of course i say that but didn't bother testing it out first. doesn't work here in houston :(

  25. Dawsy, did you have to edit your Cellular Data Network settings by adding a username and password, etc?

  26. Anthony says:

    I followed the instructions exactly. In the terminal it displayed a bunch of type that made it appear like that part worked. Could there be something else wrong?

  27. john says:

    does the visual voicemail still work with this hack?

  28. PhillyEagle says:

    I just tried MMS via Swirly which I've had for a while on my 3GS and it never worked. Just tried it and works like a champ now. I'm in PA north of Philadelphia.

  29. MalibuJack says:

    My visual voicemail doesn't appear to be working at the moment after doing this.

  30. daniel says:

    If my iTunes path is C:\Users\Public\Desktop
    what would the proper command be?
    im using Vista with iTunes 9.

  31. Jae says:

    Thank You sooo much for confirming!!! Im a hacker but honestly at times the jailbreaking and cydia process can get really annoying. I'll stick to just doing the jailbreaking stuff for my girl. two Iphones to track n adaily basis is just too time consuming.

  32. Anthony says:

    I figured out what was wrong. You have to eliminate the "." after TRUE under OS-X, when copy and pasting into the terminal.

  33. Anthony says:

    Thanks Ryan–removing the "." fixed my issue of not being able to select the IPCC file. I appreciate you taking the time to bring this to my attention.

  34. Anthony says:

    Is it supposed to say Cingular under "Cellular Data" on the iphone after you restart? If not, how do you change it? MMS isn't working, even though it's showing on the phone.

  35. yea the same thing happened with me i just checked and it works now.

  36. Anthony, see my earlier post for what I have and where I am, but I had to wait about 15 minutes of failed sends until finally I received an old message someone sent me that contained a picture. After that, it works, however, if what MalibuJack wrote above about Visual Voicemail is true, that sucks. When I changed the carrier file a while back, my Visual Voicemail stopped working as well. That means this hack is no better than the previous one. As for editing the settings under Cellular Data, I didn't have to change anything and it never became populated with anything from an OTA-type update.

  37. ShaQ says:

    I would assume it would be

    "C:\Users\Public\Desktop" /setPrefInt carrier-testing 1

  38. Well I just tested Visual Voicemail and it works, but now my MMS stopped! Ha! Pretty crazy results. I hope you guys keep posting so I can see what's going on with you.

  39. james says:

    it works!!! :D :D:D

  40. DMc says:

    So I want to hear from a few other users, IS VISUAL VISUAL VOICE MAIL WORKING OR NOT?

  41. PhillyEagle says:

    Forgot to mention earlier I have 3GS with 3.0 installed. But since everyone was posting about MMS availability thought I would chime in. I just tried the IPCC 5.0 modified file and have the iphone's MMS working now. WOOHOO!!!!!!

  42. oskar says:

    i wrote teh thing on the CDM n it says dat it doesnt find it so idk wat to do??? n another thing i installed the 3.1 on my phone n now the applycations r not working so if anyone knows let me know wat to do plz

  43. Cory says:

    this shows the picture icon but when i try to send a picture it does not work what do i need to do

  44. daniel says:

    Ok i installed the ATT_US.ipcc on my phone but it won't send no pictures.
    What could be the problem??

  45. Jerime says:

    i tried it and its not working for me it tryes to send the picture and and then just sits there and says not able to send

  46. YBT says:

    make sure you have this typed in on settings/general/network/cellular data network and on the mms section fill in the blanks
    APN: wap.cingular
    Username:
    Password:
    MMSC: mmsc.cingular.com
    MMS Proxy: 066.209.011.32
    MMS Max Message Size: 614400
    MMS UA Prof URL:

    after i typed this stuff in mine and restarted my iphone it worked.

  47. PhillyEagle says:

    Go to settings/general and reset network settings. This should bring back your visual vm. I tried tethering and MMS to see if this would cause another issue with VVM but it seems to be working fine now. Mine stopped working after enabling MMS initially. All good now.

  48. Dana says:

    everything worked fine until i try to send the pic, then it just stop when its really close to sending and gives me the cant send message error. Is there anything I can do?

  49. iPhoneHacks says:

    Good point, removed the period '.' to avoid confusion. Thanks Ryan

  50. cody says:

    You don't need to type in anything.

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